After Encountering My Deceased Wife, I Became the Male Lead's Love Rival - Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Looking for Trouble

After refusing Fang Ziyue that day, Ling Qiu thought she would take the hint and distance herself. But looking at the woman standing before her with a glass of milk, staring at her with a beaming smile, Ling Qiu sighed inwardly.

She had underestimated Fang Ziyue’s patience and persistence. Unwavering perseverance it truly was a fine quality…

“I originally intended to give the housekeeper’s position to you, but you returned too late.” Some opportunities are gone once missed. Ling Qiu rejected Fang Ziyue’s request and had Auntie Wang temporarily act as the housekeeper.

“Alright,” Fang Ziyue replied casually. She didn’t interfere with Ling Qiu’s decisions except, of course, regarding her lifestyle.

The smiling woman picked up the coffee tin on the desk. Her aura turned cold as her slender fingers crushed the iron can with a sharp crunch. She then shook it before Ling Qiu’s eyes like a warning.

“I believe I told you: do not let me see this thing in your room again.”

Fang Ziyue’s icy voice made Ling Qiu pause. She felt as if this person was more prone to anger than she was. The haughty Head of the family was a master of tactics; sometimes, bowing one’s head and admitting a mistake wasn’t humiliating—it could even bring greater benefits.

“My fault.” Ling Qiu pinched the bridge of her nose, her voice low. “There were too many things to handle recently. I needed time to deal with them.” Therefore, she couldn’t afford to sleep.

Fang Ziyue didn’t believe a word of her nonsense, but she was still struck in her weak spot by Ling Qiu’s display of vulnerability. Since her wife had put it that way, what else could she do? She took the coffee tin away and warned, “Don’t let it happen again.”

A sliver of a smile appeared on Ling Qiu’s indifferent face. The noisy woman beside her was actually quite easy to coax.

“However, I think the old housekeeper was right.” Fang Ziyue threw down her cleaning rag and slumped to the side with a sigh.

Ling Qiu’s hand holding her glass paused. “About what?”

“I want an easier job.” Fang Ziyue ran her fingers through her hair, calculating her current workload. Not only was she the gardener and the cleaning maid, but she was also responsible for Ling Qiu’s three meals and secretly helping the amateur Auntie Wang manage the household. Occasionally, she even had to go train the bodyguards.

“Give an inch and you take a mile.” Ling Qiu’s brow quirked. It was Fang Ziyue herself who had bragged that she could do anything. How long had it been before she couldn’t handle it and cried exhaustion?

“The old ox at the village entrance doesn’t work as hard as I do.” Fang Ziyue didn’t mind the labor; she minded the lack of time. She still had to develop her own power and didn’t have much time to waste on these trifles. Aside from taking care of her wife, everything else was best removed.

“You only want to be a personal assistant responsible for my daily life?” Ling Qiu rested her index finger against her cheek, her tone faint and tinged with dissatisfaction. “Is that the extent of your ambition?”

When Fang Ziyue had produced that detailed report on the Ling family that even Qu Haoyu couldn’t find, Ling Qiu thought she had great aspirations to make a name for herself. As it turned out, “Is this how you waste your talent?” She disliked “straw men,” and she equally disliked useless people with no grand goals.

“Of course not.” Fang Ziyue crossed her legs, looking at Ling Qiu in a negotiating stance. “Madam, do not think too little of yourself. Being your personal assistant is no simple task.”

Ling Qiu held the entire Ling family in her hands, commanding the winds and rain in Z City. Which of the people she collaborated with didn’t act according to her whims? A “cripple” who was once looked down upon now attended various banquets in a wheelchair, yet no one dared look down on her.

Fang Ziyue still remembered when she was twelve, being insulted by the young master of a family friend of the Lings. Back then, she had just been taught by Ling Qiu to report to her if she was bullied. The twelve-year-old girl had run to Ling Qiu in tears, incoherently reporting that the boy had called her names.

“He’s taller than me, my neck hurt from looking up… then he said I was short and poor and didn’t deserve to be here.” The weeping girl threw herself into Ling Qiu’s arms, sobbing.

At that time, Ling Qiu hadn’t taken over the Ling Corporation, but she was already quite mature. She said: When you hold enough power in your hands, you won’t need to look up to others. So don’t cry; try to become strong, and I will protect you from behind. Do not be afraid.

Ling Qiu had indeed fulfilled her promise. Later, during Fang Ziyue’s rebellious phase, Fang Ziyue had even forgotten the scenes of her interactions with Ling Qiu. But Ling Qiu still stood behind her, shielding her from the wind and rain, keeping the secret until her death.

“Are you saying I’m difficult to serve?” For some reason, Ling Qiu always wanted to find fault with Fang Ziyue.

Fang Ziyue saw through it her wife was being unreasonably difficult. “I never said that. Alright, alright, I lose.” Fang Ziyue clasped her hands in a gesture of surrender. “Madam, please show mercy and spare my life, okay?”

Wasn’t it said that animals aren’t allowed to become spirits after the founding of the Republic? How did her wife become such a “Bar-Spirit” (professional contrarian)?

The contrarian Ling Qiu didn’t know how Fang Ziyue was slandering her in her mind; she only felt immense satisfaction seeing her surrender. This felt better than signing a massive contract or swallowing a large company.

Seeing the smile on her wife’s face, Fang Ziyue narrowed her eyes and thought: Tsundere…

Perhaps because Fang Ziyue’s surrender put Ling Qiu in a good mood, she soon transferred Fang Ziyue to her side. She was now only responsible for her daily life, with the rest of her time left to her own arrangement.

Fang Ziyue got the free time she wanted and began to disappear frequently, staying out all day on unknown business.

One day, Fang Ziyue went out on an errand. She reported to Ling Qiu, and then there was no further word. Accustomed to the meals Fang Ziyue arranged, Ling Qiu was very dissatisfied with her lunch. The food was cloying and not to her taste, and an over-eager person even brought her coffee. Ling Qiu directly had the bodyguards throw that person out.

She could tolerate people making small moves in the dark, but she would not allow them to be insolent to her face. However, this habit became another label Auntie Wang spread outside: “Self-deceiving and foolish.”

Ling Qiu pushed away the coffee handed to her, her expression turning cold. The worst part of this habit was that she couldn’t move against Ling Nianyao and Qu Haoyu.

“I don’t drink coffee. I thought Auntie Wang would have told you.”

“Oh?” The glamorous and charming woman covered her mouth slightly, saying softly, “My apologies, A-Ling. I haven’t seen Auntie Wang the last few times I visited, so I didn’t know you quit coffee.” Ling Nianyao gestured toward several large boxes of coffee beans, saying with regret, “I bought so many beans as a gift for you. What a pity…”

“Take them back and drink them yourself. It’s not a pity.” Ling Qiu took a sip of hot milk. The heavy, fishy smell of the milk filled her mouth; it was unpleasant. She frowned imperceptibly and set the cup aside. She wondered where the milk Fang Ziyue used to heat up came from; it tasted much better. She would ask next time.

Ling Qiu’s bluntness didn’t anger Ling Nianyao; on the contrary, she seemed very concerned for her cousin. “You used to have chronic insomnia. I advised you not to drink coffee and other stimulants, but you wouldn’t listen.” Ling Nianyao seemed to think of something and let out a low sigh.

“Now you’ve changed your habits for that Fang Ziyue? Don’t you know she tried to harm you?”

Ling Nianyao had always acted as Ling Qiu’s “good cousin.” Outsiders said she was a kind sister who worried about and cared for Ling Qiu. If it weren’t for Ling Nianyao always speaking well of her outside, Ling Qiu’s reputation would have been rotten long ago.

“So?” Ling Qiu looked out the window. The flowers in the garden were blooming beautifully. From this angle, the vibrant scene was relaxing. This was also specially arranged by Fang Ziyue planted specifically for her wife who refused to leave the house.

“What do you mean ‘so’?” Ling Nianyao said in confusion. “Aren’t you worried about ‘nurturing a tiger that will eventually cause trouble’?”

She must have heard the story of the Farmer and the Snake. Ling Qiu now kept Fang Ziyue by her side and even tolerated her developing her own influence. How could Ling Nianyao not worry that once Fang Ziyue’s wings were strong, she would bite back?

“Who told you I was nurturing a tiger? Uncle Liu, or Qu Haoyu?” Ling Qiu turned her head sharply. The clock had passed three, lunch hour was long over, and that woman who didn’t stay home hadn’t returned yet. The displeased Ling Qiu didn’t mind venting her frustration on her brainless cousin who listened to everything Qu Haoyu said.

“No!” Ling Nianyao’s brow furrowed, and a hint of urgency appeared on her innocent face. “A-Ling, you can’t always look at Haoyu with prejudice. He is very good.”

“He is certainly good. Very good.” Ling Qiu sneered. “How could having one foot in two boats not be good?”

What Ling Qiu found disgusting and laughable was that while Qu Haoyu was still engaged to her, he had already hooked up with Ling Nianyao. “You two are so in love; since you’re so devoted, you should persuade him to break the engagement.” Ling Qiu raised her eyes, her sharp gaze stabbing at the pale Ling Nianyao. “But can you bear to do it?”

Ling Nianyao trembled and gripped her cup as if on the verge of tears, as if the warm tea could provide some support. Standing aside, Auntie Wang felt heartbroken for her. The Eldest Miss was going too far; Miss Nianyao was only speaking the truth for her own good. Not only did she not appreciate it, but she also humiliated her.

Thinking of what Ling Nianyao wanted her to help take from Ling Qiu’s study last night, Auntie Wang suddenly made up her mind—she must help Miss Nianyao get it! She could not let the Ling family be destroyed in the hands of this irritable mistress. She believed the late Master Ling and Madam Ling would surely support her.

Ling Nianyao’s face burned under Ling Qiu’s gaze. She truly couldn’t bear it; clearly, she was the one Haoyu loved most, yet back then Master Ling had betrothed A-Ling to him. Now that she was finally with Haoyu, how could she bear to make things difficult for him?

“But, that wasn’t his fault,” Ling Nianyao explained anxiously. “Haoyu was forced into the engagement. You can’t blame him.”

“Then who should I blame? Me?” Ling Qiu looked at the brainless woman with a sneer. “Since he was forced, wouldn’t it be better for him to break the engagement? What is there for you to be unwilling about?”

Of course she was unwilling! Ling Nianyao’s expression shifted repeatedly. If the engagement were broken, Brother Haoyu would have nothing to do with the Ling family. How would he live his life then?

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